


His Glands

by Angelicat2



Series: Scarred Omega [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha Shiro (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bigotry & Prejudice, Discrimination, Established Relationship, Keith (Voltron) Whump, Omega Keith (Voltron), Protective Team, Purring Keith (Voltron), Rumors, Sexism, Shiro (Voltron) is a Good Boyfriend, Team as Family, against the omega dynamic, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-29 16:02:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19023250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelicat2/pseuds/Angelicat2
Summary: Being an omega is hard enough, but it's worse when your neck glands are scarred over. At least Keith's team is there for him when someone decides to make a big deal about it.





	His Glands

Keith knew his neck glands were important.

They ran most of his hormones that his body needed during his heats. They were vital for stabilizing his hormones outside of his heats. They were his main source of scent to spread to others he was close to, especially his mate. 

It's not like he even wanted them gone. He wished he still had them. It wasn't the scars that bothered him. He already had quite a few on him.

Little scars he'd gotten playing out in the desert when his dad was alive. His ones he'd gotten from the foster homes. The ones from his time alone when Shiro had supposedly died out in Kerberos. The jagged scar from the trials cut into his shoulder. The razor-sharp scar on his cheek.

The last two were the biggest and most visible. If he wore a tank top, they were both out on display for everyone to see. That he didn't mind at all. Scars were nothing bad, as he's been trying to convince Shiro. They were a sign that he had survived and lived on. 

But the scars on his neck were something else. He could see them while looking in a mirror, the thick deep bands of darker flesh. It looked like a large cat with blades for claws went after him. The scars covered half the sides of his neck, in frantic lines. They were a bit lighter than his other scars, a sign that his scent glands were destroyed. 

Now that he could scent Shiro and the others with his own scent and he had hormone stabilizers, he felt somewhat normal again. But clearly other outsiders didn't get that, and most didn't care to understand it.

The worst part? Anyone with eyes could see that the scars were self-inflicted. 

That caused a lot of trouble.

…..

Ever since he was younger, Keith's heats had been weird. They came and went at irregular intervals. Usually, his heats were supposed to come every six months. But sometimes they came upon him at three or four or five months. Sometimes they didn't come at all, skipping a full year before deciding to take him under its pull. He was in a long heat for weeks after that, having lost lots of weight because he could barely keep himself drinking and eating enough food. His heat seemed to come earlier than most people's heats did, starting a year or two early. Sometimes there would be natural-created slick and other times there weren't. It was something doctors he had been sent to said could happen.

So he was given hormone medication. It did help give his body a routine. Heats every six months, lasting no longer than a single week, slick every time. But the medicine was killing his glands slowly, especially his neck ones. Every time he took some, he could tell it was doing things to his neck glands. Sometimes they would throb to his heartbeat, and other times, it felt like they were wiggling in his skin. The benefits were worth the risk though, so he kept it up at the Garrison. 

Then there had been the poison that had seeped into his body from the explosion after the battle to save Earth. That had hurt like hell, making it feel like someone was digging his glands out of his flesh slowly with a dull knife. It hadn't just been his neck glands that had hurt during that either. It had felt like so many hands had been holding him down and restraining him, his body heavy and uncomfortable. His wrists were in agony, under his arms had been unbearable, every movement in his hips sent shocks up his spine, his ankles had felt numb.

He knew someone had been in the room with him. Someone he trusted and loved. The rich scent of desert dust and static had filled his nose at one point, making him more able to focus. As he had opened his eyes, he had seen it was Shiro above him, trying to calm him down, grey eyes worried.

And then lightning had zapped through his body. It centered around his throat, on the sides. Keith suddenly couldn't breathe correctly, couldn't think, couldn't hear or smell Shiro anymore, couldn't feel anything but the poison in his veins. He could feel himself losing it, giving into his Galra side without much effort. One moment, he had been in agony, the next in dulled pain, medicine coursing through his blood. 

Apparently, he had woken to find out that he had clawed out his neck glands.

He hadn't remembered doing so, but the evidence had been there. Thick white bandages were on his neck, his body heavy with sleep and sickness. 

And it was just his luck that most societies placed an abnormal sacredness on the secondary sex glands, including those from Earth. Keith couldn't really hide the scars since they stretched from his jawline to his collarbone. Even his Paladin armor had a hard time covering it. His Garrison uniform worked well enough to hide them, but anyone with a nose could smell that they weren't working, even when he used his new scent "cologne" as Lance liked to call it. At least the paladin armor prevented their scents from getting free.

Some just let it go, others picked a fight. Keith could handle a fight, getting the other to agree to a sparring match and winning the match, skilled in fighting as he was. He could handle people getting physical; A hand flying into his personal space, a leg trying to trip him, a weapon nearby conveniently "discharging on accident" close to him. 

What he couldn't deal with were the whispers. Even back in the Garrison days as a cadet, Keith had heard people saying things about him like this. How he had to be cheating, he was a loner, other times a teacher's pet. Other rumors got worse, saying that he had to be fucking with somebody of high status to get such good grades to be top of the class. And of course, those rumors had shifted as Shiro and he had spent more time together. Some had said Keith had seduced Shiro. Others said Keith was a homewrecker. 

But the thing Keith couldn't tolerate was them talking about Shiro. How they said that Shiro was being unfaithful to his boyfriend, clearly going on hoverbike rides just to have time alone for his "side omega." And that he broke it off with his boyfriend because he had never truly loved the beta. Keith hoped Shiro had never ever gotten whiff of those lies. Keith knew with all of his heart that Shiro had loved Adam. The man had been devastated by the breakup, as mutual as it had been (not in Keith's eyes, honestly). Shiro was still sad about Adam's death, eyes shiny with tears every time someone mentioned the years before Voltron came to Earth. He felt guilty that he hadn't made it back to Earth in time. On those nights, Keith was the big spoon, wrapping around his mate in a comforting manner. 

But now, the rumors were still going, much hotter than before.

_"Did you see Captain Shirogane? What's he doing with an omega like the Black Paladin?"_

_"Yeah, he could do better. The Black Paladin isn't omega enough. He doesn't listen, he's aggressive, and his wolf is just creepy. Don't forget his big alien **Galra** mom."_

_"Yeah, he's not a true omega. Bet Captain Shirogane can't control him at all. The Black Paladin is more alpha than anything."_

_"Maybe Shirogane is with the Black Paladin just so he can fuck him. There is no way an alpha like him would be into an omega like **that**. I mean, he clearly doesn't even want his most treasured glands."_

_"Oh, yeah. The scent glands. Even I can tell that he tried to rip them out of his neck. Should have went deeper, would have saved a lot of people a lot of problems."_

Keith tried to ignore the rumors. They hurt like a spike through the chest, but it's not like they knew anything about Keith and Shiro. Keith had grown much more patient in his time on the space whale. 

Sure, he was aggressive. Sure, he didn't listen too well at times. Sure, he wasn't a traditional earthling omega. He didn't mindlessly obey alphas. He didn't cower next to betas. He didn't get all friendly with other omegas. But he was an omega by Galra standards. Omegas there were tough. They had to be in order to survive such a rough society. After all, omegas usually bore the children, and there were so few Galra children as it was. Omegas choose their mates, not the alpha. Omegas were the aggressive ones of the three dynamics, more like an Earth alpha.

And Shiro was fine with that. Shiro loved him for all of his personality and flaws. Shiro liked it when Keith got rough, and when he left behind scratch marks and large blossoming bite marks where others would see. He and Shiro liked it when Keith topped, just as they loved Keith being the bottom at other times. Shiro liked it when Keith held him tightly after a nightmare or when he needed a shoulder to cry on. He loved it when his omega soaked him in his makeshift scent from head to toe, just so others knew he was claimed. 

Keith still had earthling omega traits within him. Nests were the best things ever, something he made quite often with his mate and friends. It was a place of safety and warmth to him, often to the point that he "burrito-wrapped" himself in blankets. Often enough, the others slept near him when that happened, Shiro always chuckling at him before plopping on top of him, falling asleep. Keith liked that. 

Keith was also nurturing, but only to his closest friends. He made sure Lance didn’t forget anything when he went on his dates with Allura. He comforted the Altean when she began to have doubts and felt heartbroken. He made sure Pidge actually ate something healthy besides coffee and sugary snacks. Hunk...he didn’t have to worry about besides comforting him sometimes. The younger was braver than he thought he was, something Keith had admitted out loud to him on a few occasions. He listened to Coran’s chatter when the older Altean needed someone to just ramble to. He made sure Romelle was never alone, that he was always there for her if she wanted it. And with his mom, he reassured her all the time that he was safe and healthy and happy. Her inner alpha demanded that he be okay, and well, he was her son, so it made sense.

And with Shiro, Keith was definitely an omega. He made sure his alpha got to bed when he needed to. He got the other to sleep when he was having rough nights, purring softly in the way he had learned from his Galra side, one that calmed others much like his scents were supposed to. He loved it when Shiro snuggled with him, arms wrapped around his smaller body, keeping him warm and safe. 

But people didn’t care that Keith was an omega. They only saw that his glands were scarred over.

Like right now.

Keith had been minding his own business in the mess hall, getting some mac-n-cheese for himself and Shiro. The dish was one of his mate’s absolute favorites, and Keith loved doing little things like this to cheer up the older. He had just picked up his tray of shared food to take back to their table when someone shoved into him, nearly tipping him over. Keith luckily righted himself in time, avoiding spilling anything. He snapped his head back at the one who shoved him.

It was one of the older officers who always gossiped about him. Keith could not remember his name, but his face was easily recognized. A group of his buddies was standing around him, staring at Keith like hungry wolves to a rabbit.

Keith didn’t back down in fear, nor did he run with his tail between his legs. 

“So the Black Paladin doesn’t back down,” he snickered as the others joined in, “That’s surprising given the...uh...neck scars.”

Keith growled slightly before he gritted his teeth, feeling them already sharpen a bit. Taking up the tray, he tried to go around them, but they blocked his way quickly. Keith glared at them, but they only snickered again.

“Look at him,” the man began while waving his hand at Keith, “Just like a kitten. What’s he going to do to us? Fight us all? In this room? I’d hate to see the rumors that would fly from that one. Black Paladin goes feral, wouldn’t that be fun? They’d have to put you down like the mangy omega you are.”

Keith huffed before he tried again to move past them. One of them pushed him back into the table behind him. 

“Where are you trying to go, omega?” The man scowled as he stared at Keith, “We didn’t say you could go anywhere yet.”

“You’re not my alpha,” Keith hissed as he stood tall, “Now let me go.”

“I can’t do that,” the man smirked as he showed off his teeth, something that would have any other omega shivering in their place. Keith instead growled agitatedly, ready to be done with this group, “You see, everyone knows what omegas like you are like. The neck glands are sacred, and you just scratched them away like you wanted them gone. We all know that omegas without their scent glands are worthless. Can’t even be pleased by their alpha during their heat. Can’t even scent their mate like they should. They’re just meat for the higher-ups.”

“Oh, great,” Keith hissed as he could feel his claws growing, “You’re that type of alpha. You sure the Garrison is a good place to be with those thoughts?”

“Hah,” the man stepped closer, clearly expecting Keith to show some sign of fear, which he still did not, “Nobody will care. My pack has my back, and they dislike disgraceful omegas like you. You’re outnumbered, little omega. Maybe we should take this outside.”

“I’d rather stay in here,” Keith narrowed his eyes as he held his tray harder to his chest, “I’m going to take this food to my mate.”

The group reluctantly let him pass. The main leader smirked again, an evil gleam in his eyes as Keith past him. Keith stayed stiff, ready for any new hit or shove that would come his way. But none did as he stared at them warily. Strolling a few feet, he wasn’t prepared for what happened next.

“Stop right there, omega,” a deep voice echoed in his ears, and his body froze for the first time the whole interaction, “Get back over here, we need to talk.”

Keith gritted his teeth hard enough to break the skin on his lip, but his legs moved on their own account, doing as the alpha had commanded. Keith growled loudly in his throat as he glared at the smug man as he approached him.

“Omegas should listen to alphas,” he raised a brow before he laughed, “You’ve always been a wild one though, no wonder Shiro always had fun with you back in the day. Still does, I guess.”

Keith glared right at the man. It was bad enough that he was using his alpha voice on Keith, but now he was talking about Shiro like that. Keith strained against the command from before, moving his foot back shakily. The group seemed to notice, eyes widening in shock as the leader growled.

Earth alphas didn’t have as much of a hold on him as Galra ones did, and still, Keith would fight against that too. He had gotten out of Kolivan’s alpha voice’s hold before, so he could for these ones too. It just took time and effort.

“And look at that,” he stepped closer to Keith who snarled at him, “No mating bite scars. You’re not as claimed as you make yourself out to be, little omega. Where would Shiro even claim you? Your neck glands are gone, little omega. Those same glands are crucial in the mating process, the hormones from them and the saliva from an alpha are needed to create that bond. Last time I looked, you didn’t have glands anymore. Obviously, you didn’t want Shiro too badly.”

Keith felt his chest shatter. Of course he had wanted Shiro. He’d wanted him since he had first promised to never give up on him. He’d fallen for the alpha all those years ago, only sorting out his feelings when on the space whale. He and Shiro had planned to become mated right after they had figured they had feelings for each other, right after Keith’s glands were poisoned, but things kept popping up to prevent them from doing so.

“Shut up,” Keith growled as he felt his eyes begin to shrink and brighten, voice going earth alpha husky, “You have no right to speak. You’re stuck in your alpha world. Maybe you should be more accepting of things. Earth is small compared to the universe.”

“Yeah, is that so?” The man lowered his brows before smirking, “So are you, little omega, when you’re under an alpha like you should be, you filthy little Gal-”

“What’s going on over here?” A deep voice growled as the man froze. Keith peeled his eyes over to the voice to see Shiro standing there, clearly understanding exactly what was going on. Stormy lightning-charged scent flared through the air, making all in the room well aware that something was going down, and he was not happy at all about it. The whole mess hall fell silent in seconds, gazing over at them. Behind him stood the rest of the team, eyes cold on the group who began getting nervous. It was more even now, six in both groups.

Keith still couldn’t quite move yet.

“Ganging up on a Paladin of Voltron?” Lance hissed as he glared, “That’s not a good idea.”

“Yeah,” Pidge spoke as her eyes stared sharply from behind her glasses, “You mess with him, you mess with all of Voltron.”

“It is in your best interest to not harm a Paladin of Voltron,” Allura spoke as she stayed diplomatic, only her slight frown a give away at how angry she was, “I’m not well-versed in your customs, but no dynamic is better than another.”

“Yeah?” The alpha began after a moment, eyes narrowed, “Well, you know nothing. Omegas are at the bottom, like they should be. Especially an omega who tried getting rid of their glands. He’s no leader of Voltron. He’s not even an omega. He gave up the rights to be one when he clawed off his glands. So I’m not hurting a Paladin of Voltron if he’s not one.”

“Uhhh...I wouldn’t be saying that, man,” Hunk spoke as he glared at the man, much more buff than he was, “Our lions choose us. Keith has been chosen by two of the lions, which last time I looked, is two more than you’ll ever be. Keith is a paladin and part of our pack.”

“Hah, that’s rich,” the man laughed as he glanced Shiro over, “Shiro’s not even a paladin, but he’s more one than this little omega.”

Big mistake. The energy practically shifted in the room, growing cold.

“Stand down,” Shiro’s alpha voice rumbled through the room, one that everyone instantly listened to. Keith himself felt his body trying to obey his mate’s voice, but he wasn’t worried at all. Shiro would never use his alpha voice to hurt anyone, much less Keith. The older stalked to the man who cowered back into his group who put up weak growls before slinking back, leaving the other to Shiro’s unyielding force, “This is a time of war, and we can’t afford to be wasting time and energy on your old-fashioned ideas, Johnny. Apparently, you haven’t changed at all. It’s a wonder you made it to becoming an officer.”

“Yeah, well, you haven’t either,” Johnny glanced over at Keith who glared before his light eyes went back to Shiro, “Still fucking cadets, right? I’ve heard all the rumors from back in the day. Had this little omega as a side job, right? No surprise that you didn’t stay with Adam long. He was just your beta until this omega came along. It’s no wonder that you picked the broken hybri-”

Shiro pushed forward, newer Altean hand digging into the man’s collar. His eyes grew startling scary, but it was not as bad as when Keith fought his clone. The man shivered violently anyway as Shiro yanked down on the grey jacket, making him yelp. Before Shiro could do anything rash, Keith placed his hand on the other's shoulder. Shiro's eyes snapped up to him before they softened, a small inquiring chirp leaving his lips. Keith hummed back softly before they both faced the other.

"I think you're done here," Shiro ground out as he practically tossed the man back onto his pack who caught him, "We are trying to establish alliances to all people, Galra included. People with your old views are not helping at all. No wonder an alien from Romta didn't want to help us. She was disappointed in what she saw, and I am ashamed to admit that I agree."

"But…" The man glared at Keith who stood tall again, "You have no power to fire me."

"You're right," a voice interrupted them as Iverson stared at the group with stern eyes, "Shiro can't fire you, but I can. Turn in your uniform and get out. The Garrison does not tolerate such acts of sexism. Be happy that you aren't getting jail time, officer. This is a direct violation of your contract here."

The man glared at them before he turned to Shiro.

"You're not even mated," the man snarled as he ripped his arm out from the grip of one of his pack, "I guess you've always been too weak. Can't even control your omega. Hadn't controlled your beta either. Why, you're nothing but a show-off trying to hide a mons-"

Keith was sick and tired of this guy's shit. Before he could finish the sentence, Keith whammed his fist into the man's face, feeling and hearing a deep crack. He shook his sore limb as the man grabbed his bleeding nose.

"You, fucking bi-"

“You know what?” Hunk suddenly threw his hand in the man’s face, finger pointing right at him as he fell back, “Since you mentioned it earlier, I’d gladly get my neck glands removed. Keith’s stronger than any omega I’ve ever met, and if being a paladin requires glands, then you’d have to find a whole new team because none of us will be on it. Keith's family, he's our leader, and he's our packmate."

The man growled before beginning to walk away. His gaze said it all, but Pidge had it covered as she crossed her arms.

"Don't even think about messing with Keith later," she smirked as she held up a hologram picture of Blade of Marmora. The photo included his mom and Kolivan, who were staring with glares of their own. When it moved, Keith realized it wasn't a photo but an actual video call on mute. Krolia looked ready to murder someone while Kolivan gave the man a displeased stare, one that meant he'd find the guy and make sure no one could hear his screams of pain, "As you can see, Keith has more than one pack. And it's not them you have to worry about."

Something crackled loudly, making the man pale. In Shiro's robotic hand lay the man's broken cellphone, orange glass shattered to bits.

"Don't leave your stuff just laying around," Shiro hissed with narrowed eyes before he let it drop to the floor, "Looks like you won't be needing it anyway."

And like that, the guy was gone. His pack trailed their eyes back and forth before practically bowing their heads and apologizing. A good few tense minutes went by before Shiro placed his hand on Keith's shoulder, scent washing over him, a heady static bite to it. Worry.

"I'm okay, Shiro," Keith reassured him by nuzzling into his neck, breathing in his scent, "Just tired."

"We can make a nest," Shiro smirked fondly as Keith chirped happily, "I know how much you love them, baby."

"Yeah," Keith grinned as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, "That would nice. My nerves are shot."

"Can we join?" Hunk asked as he padded up to them, the others behind him with soft grins of their own, "We want to comfort you, man."

"Yeah," Lance nodded as he bumped Keith's arm, "Your nests are the best."

"Whoa, did something happen to Lance?" Pidge snickered as Lance scoffed, "He just complimented Keith's nesting skills."

"Hey!" Lance shouted as he waved his arms around, "I can totally compliment him on that. He does make the best nests and that's saying something because papa's were always my favorite."

"It's the Galra technique thing, right?" Hunk asked as they all began to leave the room in search of blankets to use, "Because they are crazy comfy."

"Yeah," Keith nodded as he rested his head to Shiro's chest, feeling his heartbeat, "Some of the Blades know some good ways to make them. I picked up a thing or two."

"Or more than that," Allura grinned happily as they rounded the corner to a storage unit, blankets piled higher than Shiro, "I think it's quite adorable."

"Thanks, Allura," Keith snickered before frowning, sniffing through the blankets before selecting the good-smelling ones, "Mom taught me most of it though. She and my dad had a lot of problems with nesting when they first met."

The group laughed at that, probably trying to picture it. Keith himself snickered at the memory of his mom explaining to him that his dad had always gone for the soft blankets first when you wanted the firm ones first, to make the nest more comfortable and padded.

“Thanks, guys,” Keith grinned at his team - his pack - as he passed out the supplies to his friends, taking three for himself, “For standing up for me. It means a lot.”

“Always, dude,” Lance grinned as he poked at one of the blankets, “I know you got your mullet thing going on over there, but you’re still part of the pack.”

“Stop,” Hunk whispered with tears lining his eyes.

“Yeah, Lance,” Pidge smirked before she pounced onto his back, to which he squealed at, “You’re gonna make Hunk cry, and when Hunk cries, we all cry.”

“Oh, shit,” Lance’s eyes widened before he patted Hunk’s shoulder, releasing calming sea salt into the air, “It’s okay, Hunk, happy moments, no crying.”

“No crying, got it,” Hunk sniffed before pulling the blanket into his arms, “I call dibs on the middle!”

“Hey!” Lance shouted as he gripped his blankets, “No fair! The middle is the best spot.”

“Yeah,” Pidge laughed as she settled her blankets into the space between her and Lance, “Don’t want a repeat of falling off the nest, do you?”

“Not really,” Lance answered before his eyes lit up, and he grabbed Allura’s hand, “Come on, princess. I got something to show you.”

And they were gone. Keith laughed, a throaty purr starting at his contentedness. Shiro made a small rumbling sound of happiness before he pressed close to Keith, rubbing his scent onto Keith’s chest.

“You doing okay?” Shiro asked as Keith glanced up at him, “I mean it. That was stressful, and he had no right to do that but…”

“What?”

“But he was right,” Shiro looked down in shame as Keith’s heart stopped. What was Shiro talking about? What? “We aren’t mated. I am weak, Keith. I should have brought it up sooner, but I didn’t. I want you, with all my heart. I’ve wanted you since I first fell in love with you. On the astral plane, the thought of you kept me going, knowing I had to see you one last time.”

“Shiro…”

“And now, you’re right here by my side, and I’ve been putting it off.”

“But…” Keith’s brows moved down, “My glands…”

“We’ll find a new way to create the mating bond,” Shiro held Keith to his chest, resting his chin to the top of his head, “We flew sentient lions and battled a 10,000-year-old dictator, we can figure a way to get our bodies to recognize each other as mates.”

“Okay,” Keith purred softly into the man’s chest, “Thanks, Shiro.”

“Always, baby,” he smiled before kissing Keith’s forehead, “Now, about that nest…”

“Yes,” Keith laughed as he kissed Shiro’s scent gland, getting a content laugh, “You can sleep on top of me like always. I like it. You’re a warm compression blanket.”

“Your warm compression blanket,” Shiro smiled before taking his hand, leading him towards the others.

**Author's Note:**

> Dang, now I want to create one all about nesting. I mean, if Keith makes the best nests...gotta show it, right? Plus, I love the image of Shiro just plopping on top of Keith and sleeping. The guy needs the rest, okay? Keith knows it. You know it. I know it. XD


End file.
